Oh. Laura went dizzy for a second with the lust that shot through her. And then the knowledge that she’d been completely and utterly hoist by her own petard slammed into her. For a second the room spun. Shock ricocheted right through her. Swiftly followed by a deluge of relief and then everything suddenly fell into place.

She’d tried and tried to deny her attraction to Matt and she was sick of it. Sick of feeling constantly on edge and jumpy. She wanted Matt. So badly. And it seemed he wanted her, too.

The realisation was too much to resist and beneath the heat of his gaze the fragile barriers she’d tried to erect to protect herself came crashing down. What harm could just once more do? ‘Well, that goes both ways.’

‘Does it?’ he murmured, his gaze dropping to her mouth.

‘Oh, yes.’

Matt tilted his head. ‘So what do you think we should do about it?’

She knew exactly what she wanted to do about it, but the whole bump-on-the-head/kiss misunderstanding that afternoon in his house suddenly flew into her head and made her pause. ‘What do you think?’

‘I think we should get it out of our systems.’ He took a step towards her, his eyes gleaming, and her pulse thudded.

What an excellent idea. ‘How?’

‘You know perfectly well how.’

Her heart began to gallop. ‘I thought you didn’t mix business with pleasure.’

‘I don’t.’

‘So what’s this?’

‘I don’t employ you. The state does.’

Thank heavens for that. ‘Good point. So when do you think we should set about getting it out of our systems?’

‘What’s wrong with now?’

Thrills scurried through her. ‘There are hundreds of people on the other side of the corridor,’ she said a little breathlessly.

‘I locked the door,’ he said, taking another step towards her.

‘Won’t you be missed?’

‘I doubt it.’ His eyes glittered as he stared down at her. ‘I, on the other hand, have really missed this.’

Matt closed the short distance between them took her in his arms, bent his head and dropped a kiss on the skin where her neck met her shoulder. Her whole body jerked as if she’d been branded.

‘Oh, God, so have I,’ she said, feeling her knees begin to buckle as the last tiny remnant of her resistance crumbled.

As Matt slid his mouth up her neck Laura felt herself melt against him and clutched at his shoulders.

‘You look amazing. You feel amazing,’ he breathed against her jaw.

So did he. A tremble ran through her. ‘This is insane,’ she murmured.

‘I know.’

Matt’s mouth found hers and captured it in a slow scorching kiss that frazzled her brain. Laura moaned. Wound her fingers through his hair and pressed herself closer. She felt him slip his hands down her body and she began to burn.

And then went cold when Matt suddenly stopped and swore softly. ‘What?’ she said as disappointment thundered through her. Surely he couldn’t be having second thoughts? Not now.

‘You’re not wearing any underwear.’

The disappointment vanished beneath a flood of relief. ‘Clingy dress.’

And then she couldn’t say anything more even if she’d wanted to because Matt had slammed his mouth down on hers and was backing her up against the nearest wall and pinning her against it with his hips, one hand in her hair, the other on her breast.

Feeling desperation begin to take hold, Laura delved beneath his jacket, tugged at his shirt and pulled it from the waistband of his trousers. She ran her fingers over the skin of his back and felt a shudder rip through him. Unable to help herself, she pressed harder against the steely length of his erection and rubbed against it.

And then he was pushing her dress up, sliding a hand round to where she was hot and wet and aching, and pressing the heel of his palm against her.

Laura shook with need as she fumbled with the button of his trousers. She yanked the zip down, ran her hand over him and urged him towards her. Matt let out a rough groan, then put a hand over hers and pulled back.

She blinked. What now?

‘Don’t,’ he said, his voice tight with barely restrained need.

‘Why not?’

‘Because if this is going to go any further we need to go upstairs to my room and I won’t be able to walk.’

‘Why do we need to go upstairs?’ said Laura, not caring that she sounded desperate. ‘I don’t need a bed. I’m perfectly happy with a wall.’

‘And an unplanned pregnancy?’ Matt said, his eyes blazing down at her as he stepped back.

‘Oh.’ Laura bit her lip and tugged her dress down. An unplanned pregnancy was the last thing she needed. But still. ‘God, I wish I was irresponsible.’

‘So do I,’ he said, adjusting his clothing. ‘But luckily we don’t have to be, because upstairs I have condoms.’ Taking her hand, Matt marched her across the room, unlocked the door and flung it open.

And came face to face with Signore Capelli, who was standing there, his hand raised as if about to knock.

Laura’s heart banged in shock. And then lurched with something else when Matt dropped her hand as if it were a hot coal and sprang away from her. She glanced at him. Saw his face had turned to stone. Then she glanced at Signore Capelli who was decidedly not looking at her, and she felt herself grow beetroot at the thought of the damage Matt’s hands must have done to her hair. What must he be thinking?

‘Yes?’ Matt growled.

‘I apologise for disturbing you, sir,’ said Signore Capelli, looking cool and unperturbed, as if he encountered this sort of situation all the time, ‘but you’re needed in the ballroom.’

Matt shoved his hands through his hair and bit out a sigh. Then he turned to Laura, his eyes blazing. ‘Stay here,’ he said. ‘I’ll be right back.’

But by the time Matt got back, Laura had gone.

CHAPTER NINE

LAURA was cursing Matt beneath her breath and punching the pillows on her bed when the hairs on the back of her neck sprang to attention and alerted her to the fact that she wasn’t alone. Her heart suddenly thundering, she whirled around and nearly swooned.

Matt stood in the doorway, his big body tight with tension and his eyes glittering. His bow tie hung loose around his neck and a couple of his shirt buttons were undone. He looked dishevelled, exhausted and utterly gorgeous.

‘I asked you to wait,’ he said roughly.

What did he have to sound annoyed about? Laura thought, her stomach churning with pique, frustration and disappointment. She was the one who’d been left hanging there. Waiting. Listening to the heavy tick-tock of the grandfather clock and going slowly insane. ‘Don’t you ever knock?’

‘No.’

‘You should. It’s rude.’

‘I asked you to wait. You left. I don’t think you should be lecturing me on rudeness.’ His eyes glittered. ‘What happened? Changed your mind?’

As if. She clutched a pillow to her stomach as if it might somehow provide some kind of defence against his potent magnetism. ‘I did wait,’ said Laura witheringly. ‘For over an hour.’

There was a brief silence. Then Matt frowned. ‘It wasn’t as long as that.’

‘Yes, it was.’ Obviously he’d been so caught up in whatever it was he’d been doing that he’d completely forgotten about her. Exactly as she’d suspected.

‘Oh,’ he muttered, rubbing his face. ‘I’m sorry, I got tied up.’

‘Evidently,’ she said waspishly, the hurt still stinging. ‘So what do you want?’

His gaze dropped to her chest, where she was pretty sure he’d be able to see the curve of her breasts beneath the fine silk of her negligee and she tossed the pillow onto the bed to cross her arms over her chest.

‘What do you think?’ he said, stepping into the room, his eyes darkening. ‘We have unfinished business.’

Her gaze dropped to below his belt and her mouth went dry at the impressive bulge behind the zip. Laura gave herself a quick shake, swallowed hard and lifted her chin. ‘No, we don’t.’ She arched an eyebrow. Gave him a smile. ‘At least I don’t.’ The minute she’d got to her suite, she’d stripped, marched into the bathroom and had had a hot, steamy, extremely satisfying shower. Steam and the scent of roses still billowed from room. Her cheeks were still pink. Her body still hummed.

For a second Matt just stared at her as the implication of her words sank in and his eyebrows crept up. ‘Oh,’ he said softly, giving her a slow smile that made her tingle all over again. ‘I’m sorry I missed that.’

‘So am I.’

‘We’ll just have to start again. Because look what I found.’

He strode across the marble floor, stopped a foot from her and tossed a box onto the bed. Out spilled condoms. Lots of them. Laura stared down at them, back up at him and her pulse began to race.

‘Oh.’

‘Quite.’ And then he frowned. ‘Did you change your mind?’

He sounded uncertain all of a sudden and pique evaporated. ‘Of course not,’ she said, giving him a smile that she hoped didn’t reveal her relief too much. ‘I just got bored of waiting.’

‘Good.’ Matt pulled her into his arms. ‘Now where were we?’ he said, staring down at her and a wicked smile curving his mouth. ‘Oh, yes, I remember.’

He slid his hands down her body, bunched the silk in his fingers and lifted it. Laura raised her arms and let her bare breasts brush against his chest as he drew it up and over her head. She heard him take a sharp breath, then felt him give her shoulders a little push and she fell back on the bed.

Her breath shot from her lungs as she landed and then vanished all over again as Matt began to whip his clothes off. He pulled off his bow tie and tossed it on the floor. Seconds later his jacket and shirt joined it, followed by his trousers and shorts, and desire began to hammer through her.

Oh, God. His body was truly magnificent. The first time they’d had sex she’d been so desperate that there hadn’t been time to savour and learn. And then up against the wall earlier this evening she’d barely had time to reacquaint herself with it.

But that was going to change, she vowed, her head swimming as she ran her gaze down him, over the broad chest, the flat stomach, lean hips, powerful thighs and finally lingering on the gloriously thick hard length of his erection.

Laura swallowed and shuddered as a bolt of longing gripped her. This time they’d take it slowly. Touch and taste and linger and eke out every drop of pleasure.

‘Are you ogling me?’ Matt murmured and Laura realised he’d been standing there watching her watching him for goodness knew how long.

‘Certainly am,’ she replied, biting on her lip to stop herself from whimpering.

He looked down at her, his eyes gleaming as they roamed over her.

‘What are you doing?’ she breathed, half wondering why he wasn’t launching himself at her.

‘Returning the compliment.’

Her body burned and she dragged in a shaky breath. ‘Oh, OK.’

‘Of course,’ he mused, sinking onto the bed beside her and trailing his fingers over her cheek, down her neck, over her upper chest and then cupping her breast. ‘It would be better if I had a pair of binoculars.’

Laura shivered and felt the muscles of her abdomen contract. ‘Would it? Why?’

‘Then I could ogle you from behind the curtains the way you were ogling me.’

‘I was not ogling you,’ she said weakly, swallowing and trying not to drown in the pleasure shooting through her.

‘You were watching me for half an hour,’ he murmured.

‘Five minutes. At the most.’

‘Fifteen. At the least.’

Laura sighed and closed her eyes and gave in. ‘Well, if you will insist on going around without your shirt on, what do you expect?’

‘I was in my own garden,’ he said against her ear. ‘I have every right to go around without my shirt on. Or anything if I feel like it,’ he added, dropping a trail of kisses along her jaw.

Lust began to pound through her. ‘That’s true.’

‘I’d never have you pegged as a voyeur,’ he muttered, his mouth moving lower, dropping a trail of kisses down her neck and over the top of her breasts. ‘Who knew?’

‘So arrest me.’

She gasped as his mouth closed over her nipple. Pleasure spun through her, arrowing down straight to the centre of her, and for a second she lost all track of the conversation.

He lifted his head. ‘I would if I could remember where I put my handcuffs,’ he said, switching his attention to her other breast.

Laura’s entire body began to buzz and desire hammered at her with an insistence that demanded attention. Oh, forget slow and sensual. She just wanted him thrusting inside her. Right now.

Wrapping a leg around his calves, she urged him up, wound her arms around his neck and kissed him hard and deep. Tilted her hips and ground them against him, desperate for release. The shower had been good, but now she wanted the real thing.

Matt, however, clearly had other ideas. He lifted his head, breathing raggedly, his eyes blazing. ‘What’s the hurry?’ he murmured.

What was the hurry? Laura bit her lip. She was on the point of exploding. That was the hurry. And then mortification swept down to mingle with the desire pummelling through her and she forced herself back under control.

‘No hurry,’ she managed thickly. ‘I just thought, you know, you might be uncomfortable. In pain. Or something.’

‘So altruistic.’

‘That’s me. Always thinking of others.’

‘I hope not,’ Matt said, lifting an eyebrow. ‘I don’t want you to be thinking about anyone but me.’

‘Ah,’ she said. ‘Well, that’s up to you.’

Matt’s eyes flashed. ‘Is that a challenge?’

‘Maybe.’

‘I like challenges.’

‘Excellent,’ she breathed and sighed with delight as he shifted down her body, spread her legs and settled himself between her thighs. At the touch of his mouth at her molten centre, she nearly leapt off the bed.

Oh, God. Forget thinking about anyone else. Forget thinking full stop. At the sheer force of the pleasure shooting through her, her brain shut down. Every drop of her conscious thought zoomed in on his mouth, his lips, his tongue and what they were doing to her.

Her heart thundered. Her hands clutched at the sheets and then tangled in his hair. She lifted her hips, couldn’t stop her back arching as all the pleasure churning around inside her sharpened, shot to her core and then splintered.

Laura cried out as she broke apart. Felt a sob rise in her throat as Matt gripped her hips, tormenting her still further, sucking and licking at her, drawing out every tiny drop of pleasure as shudders continued to rack her body.

Matt moved up her, covering her still quivery body entirely with his. ‘Still thinking of others?’ he muttered, his eyes blazing as they bore into hers.

Laura couldn’t speak, just shook her head.

‘Good.’ And then a wicked gleam lit the depths of his eyes. ‘Maybe I’d better make sure, just in case.’

Oh, God. Could she take any more? Surely it wasn’t possible. Surely her body needed time to recover? But already she could feel herself softening and ripening and humming with renewed desire. ‘That might be wise,’ she said, finally regaining the power of speech, albeit a soft and breathy one.

‘I’m delighted you agree.’

His mouth found hers and as he kissed her he stroked a hand down her body, over the damp triangle of curls at the juncture of her legs and slid a finger deep inside her.

Laura gasped into his kiss and felt herself clench around him.

‘Unbelievable,’ he muttered against her mouth.

‘Incredible,’ she panted.

‘That, too.’

As he stroked her waves of pleasure began to roll over her. Unable to resist, she lifted her hips and pressed herself harder against him. Her breathing shallowed. Sped up. A ball of tension swelled and tightened inside her. Her heart thundered.

She felt Matt reach over, faintly heard the rustle of foil and then he was on top of her, pushing her knees even farther apart and driving into her.

Laura groaned in desperation. Her legs wrapped around his waist, pulling him farther inside her, and her hands tangled in his hair.

With every thrust of his body, every scorching kiss, he pushed her higher. Mindless with need, Laura tilted her hips to take him deeper. She could feel the tension in him too, the focus, as he pounded harder and faster into her.

And then just when she thought she couldn’t bear the clawing desperation any longer, he pulled out of her and drove into her one last time, deeper than he had ever before.

Laura shattered. A tidal wave of pure pleasure crashed over her as her orgasm hit and rippled out along every single one of her nerve endings. A second later Matt let out a rough groan and collapsed on top of her.

As she floated back down to earth she became aware of his heart thundering against hers, his breath harsh and fast against her neck, and something inside her chest squeezed.

But before she could work out what it was Matt was propping himself up on his elbows to take his weight and lowering his head to give her a long slow devastating kiss that wiped her mind.

‘Like I said,’ he murmured, gazing down at her as he gave her a faint smile, ‘unbelievable.’

Despite that thing in her chest squeezing even tighter, Laura couldn’t help a satisfied smile creeping across her face. Matt gently withdrew from her and rolled onto his back to deal with the condom, then pulled her on top of him and tugged the sheet up over them.

‘You know, I’ve never slept with a king before,’ she said, her gaze roaming over the lines of his face.

‘I should hope not,’ said Matt dryly. ‘Most of them are over sixty.’

He trailed his hands over her back and she could feel her skin tingle. She folded her arms on his chest and rested her chin on her wrists. ‘How old are you?’

‘Thirty-three.’

‘Pretty young to become king.’

‘I guess.’

‘How did it all come about?’

He frowned and the fingers creating havoc on her back stilled. ‘Do we have to discuss this now?’

‘Why not?’

‘Because there are lots of other things we could be doing.’

That was true, she thought, feeling him stirring against her abdomen and beginning to slide beneath the surface of the desire that was sweeping through her. It would be so easy to just give in. Especially with the way Matt’s hands had moved lower and were now stroking her bottom and sending tingles all the way round to her core.

But she wanted to know about him. Had done for weeks, and to absolutely no avail. Matt was as chatty as a clam. Torquemada himself would have trouble getting Matt to open up, and God knew she was no Torquemada. But now, with him trapped beneath her, all relaxed and amenable and perhaps prepared to lower his guard a fraction, maybe she did have a chance. And who knew, it might be her only opportunity.

Ruthlessly quashing the desire whipping through her, Laura called into service a hitherto dormant will of steel and reached behind her to remove his hands from her bottom. ‘Not right now,’ she said, placing them either side of his head and keeping them there with hers. ‘You know pretty much everything there is to know about me, yet I know virtually nothing about you.’

Matt frowned. That wasn’t true, was it? She knew. Hmm. So maybe it was, but that was understandable. He was reserved. And why wouldn’t he be, what with journalists constantly hounding him for his life story?

‘So read the papers,’ he said.

‘But I have such a reliable source right here,’ she said, looking up at him from beneath her eyelashes and giving him a seductive smile.

If he had any sense whatsoever he’d be levering himself up and heading back to his own room, because Matt didn’t do post-coital conversation. Or any conversation of a personal nature, for that matter.

However his body wanted more of her. Much more. He wanted to watch her shatter in his arms again. Wanted to shatter in her arms.

Hmm. Maybe he could dispense with a few facts and then turn his talents to persuading her to find another use for her mouth.

‘Fine,’ he said. ‘My favourite colour is blue.’ Cornflower blue, he thought, looking into her eyes and momentarily losing his train of thought. ‘My favourite food is chilli and I don’t have time for hobbies. Anything else?’

Her eyebrows shot up. ‘Are you kidding?’ she said softly.

‘What do you want to know? Ask me anything.’ Whether he’d choose to answer was another matter entirely.

Laura tilted her head on his chest. ‘OK,’ she said slowly. ‘Seeing as you’re such a novice at this sort of thing, we’ll start with my original question. How did you become king?’

Matt relaxed. That was an easy enough question to answer. ‘Six months ago a Sassanian delegate showed up at my office and offered me the job.’

‘Just like that?’

‘Pretty much.’ It hadn’t been quite that simple. At first he’d almost summoned security to remove what he’d thought was a madman. But after the delegate had persuaded him to listen, Matt had wasted no time in accepting. His business was well established and so successful that it practically ran itself and, to be honest, he’d been getting a bit restless. The visit from the Sassanian delegate couldn’t have come along at a better time.

‘Did you know you were heir to the throne?’

‘Of course, but my family had been in exile so long we’d more or less forgotten about it.’

‘So what happened?’

‘They had a coup.’

‘Nasty.’

Matt twined his fingers through hers and felt her shiver. ‘Actually, not too bad as coups go. It was bloodless. I think the country had come to the end of the road and everyone knew it. It had been in steady decline for years. It was socially, financially and morally bankrupt. Corruption was rife. It still is. Public services are virtually non-existent.’

‘And it’s down to you to sort it out?’

‘Sorting out problems is what I do.’

‘Handy.’ A smile curved her lips and Matt’s stomach tightened.

‘Not really,’ he said. ‘I was told I was the main reason why they voted to restore the monarchy.’

Her eyes widened. ‘That sounds pretty drastic. Couldn’t they have just employed you as a consultant or something instead?’

‘They wouldn’t have been able to afford me. This way they get me for free.’

‘So cynical.’

‘I prefer realistic.’ At the look of affront in her eyes on his behalf, something inside him thawed. ‘But if it makes you feel better,’ he said, faintly bewildered by the feeling, ‘I believe they thought a figurehead would unite the country and restore confidence.’

‘So no pressure, then.’

‘Fortunately I thrive under pressure.’

‘What’s the plan?’

‘I cut out the dead wood and restructure the finances.’

‘Sounds simple.’

Matt thought of all the problems he’d already encountered in the short time he’d been here. ‘It isn’t.’

‘How’s it going?’

‘Slowly.’

‘How does it feel?’

‘Feel?’

Laura nodded, watched a frown appear on his forehead and felt him tense. Matt clearly didn’t do feelings, at least not of the emotional kind. Well, that was tough, because she was on a roll, and frankly rather stunned by how much he’d divulged, even if it had been all fact based. No way was she giving up now.

‘How does what feel?’ he muttered.

‘The king thing.’

‘It doesn’t feel anything.’

Matt’s expression shuttered but she carried on undeterred.

‘It must feel something,’ she said cajolingly. ‘I don’t know, exhilarating, nerve-racking, weighty. Maybe even a little bit scary?’

Matt regarded her thoughtfully, his eyes unfathomable as he appeared to analyse the emotions she’d listed. ‘I guess it’s challenging,’ he said eventually.

Challenging? ‘That’s it?’

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